Norristown day-care teacher faces prison for sex abuse of girl, 3

NORRISTOWN >> A Delaware County man who admitted to sexually abusing a 3-year-old girl in his care at a Norristown day-care center where he worked as a teacher is on his way to state prison.

Michael Barbee, 33, of the first block of Baily Road, Yeadon, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Tuesday to four to eight years in a state correctional facility in connection with a February 2017 incident that occurred while he worked as a child care worker at the St. Francis of Assisi Early Learning Center in the 600 block of Hamilton Street in Norristown.

Judge William R. Carpenter ordered Barbee to have no contact with minors. Barbee also faces a lifetime requirement to report his address to state police in order to comply with the state’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Barbee pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated indecent assault of a child, unlawful contact with a minor and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the Feb. 7, 2017, incident.

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By pleading guilty to the charges, Barbee admitted that he was a teacher in the toddler classroom and was alone with the 3-year-old girl at nap time when he touched her inappropriately and sexually assaulted her for approximately 10 seconds, according to court documents.

When the child yelled, “Ouch,” Barbee, who was 32 at the time, covered her mouth and stopped the assault, prosecutors alleged.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Erika Wevodau.

An investigation began on Feb. 8 when Norristown detectives received information that the 3-year-old girl disclosed that her teacher, who she referred to as “Mr. Michael,” touched her inappropriately, according to a criminal complaint filed by former Norristown Detective Kathleen Kelly, who is now a county detective.

Barbee, according to the arrest affidavit, went to police headquarters for questioning on Feb. 10 and stated that he had helped the child in the past in the bathroom at the learning center but did not touch the girl in a sexual manner.

Barbee agreed to take a polygraph test, which was administered by a Montgomery County detective.

At that time, Barbee reportedly changed his story and admitted to being the only adult in the classroom with the victim and other children during naptime. Barbee admitted that he sexually assaulted the little girl for approximately 10 seconds after, he claimed, she called him “stupid.”

“Barbee admitted this contact was of a sexual nature,” Kelly alleged in the arrest affidavit.

At the time of Barbee’s arrest, a representative of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia issued a statement saying Barbee, who had been hired in fall of 2015, was immediately placed on administrative leave when parish officials were informed about the investigation.

According to the statement, disseminated to early learning center families, parish school families, and parish religious education families, the early learning center is in a separate building from the parish school, which is located at 601 Buttonwood St., Norristown, and Barbee did not work in the parish school building.

The statement also included that there were no prior indications that Barbee was involved in sexual criminal activity, and he completed a mandatory safe environment training program and passed appropriate criminal background checks and child abuse clearances before being hired.

“These charges are serious and disturbing,” the statement read. “The archdiocese is cooperating fully with law enforcement regarding this matter and remains fervently committed to preventing child abuse as well as protecting the children and young people entrusted to its care.”